Pacers Eye Upset of Suns
Teams heading in opposite directions collide when the Indiana Pacers take on the Phoenix Suns in an inter-conference showdown Saturday.
BetUS sportsbook tips the Suns as the 11½-point home chalk on the NBA odds board as the hosts eye their sixth-straight win. However, the Pacers have been on a bit of a giant-killing spree on the road, and they might fancy their chances against the high-flying Suns, even if the markets don’t.
Game: Indiana Pacers (17-29) at Phoenix Suns (35-9)
Location: Footprint Center, Phoenix
Day/Time: Saturday January 22, 2022, 6 p.m. ET
Television: ESPN
Indiana Pacers at Phoenix Suns
Pacers on Giant-Killing Spree
The Indiana Pacers are among the league’s worst teams with a 17-29 record that puts them in 13th place in the Eastern Conference and 12.5 games behind top of the table Brooklyn Nets (29-16).
Most recently, though, the Pacers seem to have found some form. They’re coming off back-to-back upsets over the Los Angeles Lakers and the Golden State Warriors to improve to a 4-6 record in their last 10 games.
#Pacers upset The Warriors on the road!!
Chris Duarte: 27 points, 7 reb
Justin Holiday: 16 points, 3 assists
Isaiah Jackson: 15 points, 7 reb
Pacers had all 5 starters out but they still pulled out The W#NBA pic.twitter.com/okrnKsj7Ms
— Roen Elbert (@RoenElbert) January 21, 2022
The Pacers came through as the 3½-point road underdogs for NBA free picks in the 111-104 win over the Lakers, and then as the 16½-point road underdogs in a 121-117 win over the Warriors.
Overall, the Pacers boast a woeful 5-17 record on the road, but when it comes to some of the league’s best they’re up for the challenge. They have recorded road wins against the Sacramento Kings, Utah Jazz (shockingly), Chicago Bulls (also shockingly), Lakers (more shockingly) and the Warriors (simply astonishing).
Suns Soaring
The high-flying Phoenix Suns edged the Dallas Mavericks on the road, 109-101, to come through in betting online markets as the firm -2½-point road favorites on Thursday night.
The Mavericks gave the Suns a right run for their money, but the visitors persevered to win their fifth-straight game and improved to an 8-2 record in their last 10. The Suns also improved their away form to 18-4.
The Suns rallied late to clinch the win. Devin Booker scored 28 points, while Chris Paul added 20 points and 11 assists. The Suns outscored Dallas 35-19 in the final quarter.
The Suns are a solid bet at home with a 17-5 record at the Footprint Center. They beat the Pacers 112-94 on the road last week, and they’ll be looking to replicate that result in front of their fans on Saturday night.
Pacers To Run Out of Steam
The Pacers have put together a nice run with wins over the Lakers and Warriors that were impressive to say the least. It certainly will send them into Saturday’s contest with a measure of optimism and confidence. Whether that will be enough to pull off a third-straight upset remains to be seen. Phoenix will be a tough out.
The Suns will also have taken stock of the Pacers’ recent wins, and they’ll be mindful to avoid the trap. The Suns are still the better bet to win this game hands down. That said, perhaps, the 11½-point spread that is currently on offer is a touch too high.
The Suns have covered four straight games, including an 11½-point spread in a 135-108 win over the Detroit Pistons earlier this week. However, at home, the Suns are 8-8-0 against the spread (ATS) with an 8.4 winning margin on average.
